Joint Memorandum Submitted to Defence Minister on 12.1.2018 – INDWF

JOINT MEMORANDUM TO BE SUBMITTED BY THE UNIONS ON 12.01.2018 TO THE DEFENCE MINISTER___________________________________Union (AIDEF)___________________________________Union (INDWF)___________________________________Union (BPMS)___________________________________Union

Subject : Memorandum on the policy decision taken by the Government against the interest of state owned Defence Industry and its Defence Civilian Employees.

Respected Madam,
Your kind attention is drawn to the joint representation submitted by the three recognized Federations of Defence Civilian Employees (AIDEF, INDWF and BPMS) dated 16.10.2017, 24.11.2017, 05.06.2017 and 14.12.2017. In all the representations the three recognized Federations have expressed their concern about the following policy decision taken by the Government.

“ that the decision taken by the Government to outsource and privatize Defence Production and related activities like Research, Maintenance and Services etc. and to permit 100% FDI is not in the interest of Defence Preparedness of our Country”.

“ that the hasty move of the Government to declare more than 200 Products being manufactured by the Ordnance Factories as “Non-Core” and to stop its production in the Ordnance Factories and to hand over the same to Private Corporates / Industries and to further increase the number of items as “Non-Core” is only to benefit the private Industrial houses at the cost of Ordnance Factories. The move of the Government will result in dismantling various Ordnance Factories established, surpused and developed over a period of more than 200 years in different disciplines and technology. This is nothing but a suicidal move, since once the Ordnance Factories are dismantled, the private players will dictate terms to the Government and the Armed Forces”. “that the decision of the Government to grant Uniform / Dress Allowance to the Soldiers (PBORs) @ Rs. 10,000/- per annum instead of Stitched Uniforms will result in the Soldiers purchasing substandard quality of Uniform Cloth from the Market which is not subjected to any quality of Uniform Cloth from the Market which is not subjected to any quality test as being done in the Ordnance Factories and manufacturing in different style which takes away the similarity in the shade, design, mismatch of the combination fo Trouser and Jacket which will look very awkward especially during the parade etc. Apart from this the decision will have a serious impact on the existence and future of 5 OEF Group of Factories and its 12000 Employees including 2000 Women Employees”.

“that the proposal of NITI Aayog for introducing PPP Model in the Small Arms Group of Factores, to allow Private Corporates in the Ordnance Factories in the name of “Joint Venture” etc. is nothing but handing over the national assets to the Private Corporates”.

“that by arbitarily directing OFB to stop working overtime on Sundays in lieu of Holidays has resulted in failure of targets for the year 2017-2018 upto Rs. 2500 crore and huge financial loss to the Employees of Ordnance Factories, since overtime wages have become a part of the monthly wages of the Employees.

“that the continuous dilution of the role of DRDO, handing over the permanent and perennial research and related developmental activities to private agencies and reducing the strength of permanent skilled and devoted workforce in the DRDO is an alarming situation. The DRDO is being forced to handover all new technologies developed by them to the Private Sector by ignoring the Ordnance Factories and Defence Public Sector”.

“that the so called reorganization proposal is nothing but to minimize the rate of DGQA with the ultimate intention of abolition of DGQA functions”.

“that the decision of the Government to close down Station Workshops, Military Farms and Depots etc. and to convert the Army Base Workshops to GO CO Model which means to handover the EME Workshops to the Private giants like L&T etc, is not in the interest of Defence Preparedness”.

“that the decision taken by Army HQ. to stop recruitment in the Army Units and to declare more than 3000 Army Civilian Employees as Surplus is in contradiction of the Government’s declared policy of employment generation and also against the policy of reservation in Government Jobs for socially and economically down trodden Communities, and physically challenged persons”.

“that the decision taken by the Government to declare more than 9000 Employees of the MES surplus, when there is an acute shortage of manpower in MES”.

It is unfortunate that the Ministry of Defence have not considered the representations of the Federations and the Unions of the Defence Civilian Employees on the above issues and due to which there is a total discontentment and dissatisfaction amongst the Employees since, their future is in total dark. The state owned Defence Industries including Ordnance Factories, DRDO, DGQA, MES, EME, Depots under ADC, Military Farms, DGAFMS, DGAQA, and other Army, Naval and Air Force Establishments under the Ministry of Defence may please be treated at par with the Armed Forces since all these Units are the forth force of the Defence of our Country and hence they deserve the status of “War Reserve” and should be strengthened, develped and expanded in the interest of National Security and Defence Preparedness.
Respected Madam, we are still of the hope that the MoD will consider all the above issues in its true spirit and come forward to review and reconsider all the above decisions and will have a negotiated settlement with the Employees representatives.